Oct 31, 2014, 6:05 am
Last edit by: lifeonthego_k
I'm going to update this first post as more info flows in to create a 'master list' of all credit cards that offer a decent way of accruing miles - so please help out!
If you know of and/or use any other cards (or the ones already mentioned), please share your thoughts.
***ALL VALUES BELOW IN SINGAPORE DOLLARS (SGD)***
============
In no particular order (apart from personal preference in terms of good-mileage opportunities):
============
1. UOB PRVI Miles VISA, MasterCard, AMEX
VISA:
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...iles_visa.html
MasterCard:
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...astercard.html
Amex:
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...amex_card.html
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...ard/microsite/
Mileage accrual:
The earn rate will be 1.4 miles for every $1 spent in multiples of S$10 (every multiple of S$5 gives 6 to 7 miles due to 3.5 UNI$ rounding off, every S$10 gives 14 miles), and 2.4 miles for every $1 spent OVERSEAS (every $5 gives 12 miles).
Requirements: min. income $80,000 (not strict).
Cost: First year free, then S$256.80 for main, first two supplementary always free. Annual fee waiver for Amex card if you charge $50,000 or more in a year.
Miles conversion fee: $25 per conversion. UNI$ are combined in 1 cardholder's name/FIN Number/NRIC together for all UOB cards which earn UNI$.
Pros: Best mileage accrual rates for overseas spend only. 20,000 bonus miles and annual fee waiver with spend of $50,000 per year (both only for Amex card). $45 1-way airport transfer voucher for $1,000 overseas spend in a given quarter (Amex only).
Cons: AMEX not always accepted by merchants. Points allocated on every $5 spent, rounded down to next $5. Transfer in blocks of 5000 UNI$ points = 10,000 miles. Points are valid for 2 years (transfer before expiry and they will subsequently be valid for a further 3 years from the date of transfer to KrisFlyer).
2. UOB Preferred Platinum Visa
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards..._platinum.html
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...visa_card.html
Mileage accrual: Earn 4 miles for every $1 spent using ONLY MOBILE CONTACTLESS every $5 gives 10 UNI$ which equal 20 miles). Same incredible mileage-earning ratio for internet shopping with certain restrictions (travel-related, utilities, etc.). Earn 0.4 mile for every $1 for regular, signature-based payments AND ORPHAN SPEND DUE TO $5 ROUNDING OR EXCEEDING THE BONUS U$2000 SPEND (every $5 gives 1 UNI$ which equal 2 miles).
Earning 4 miles/$ is limited to the first S$1110 spent during the per calendar month (via Mobile Contactless). 2,000UNI$ refers to the extra 9UNI$ and does not include the normal 1UNI$.(Stop when you notice you earn 3UNI$ (1 + bonus 2) for the last S$5 transaction. ($1110/5)x9=1998UNI$, hence the last S$5 transaction will earn 2 bonus UNI$. The total bonus UNI$ awarded to you from qualifying spend on Selected Online Transactions and Mobile Contactless Transactions is capped at UNI$2,000 for each calendar month. THE CAP IS ON THE 9 UNI$ BONUS NOT 10UNI$ TOTAL YOU GET WITH BASE OF U$1 PER $ SPEND
Keep in mind that some merchants offer different, non-mileage accruing awards with UOB cards which are called SMART$. Some popular merchants include Cold Storage, Guardian and Giant Supermarket, ToastBox and Starbucks. A full list of merchants where Mobile contactless transactions will NOT earn miles can be found here: http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...smartclub.html
Requirements: min. income $30,000 ($60,000 for foreigners).
Cost: First year free, then $192.60 for main and $96.30 for supplementary. Annual fee waived off easily.
Miles conversion fee: $25 per conversion, in blocks of 5000 UNI$=10,000 miles. UNI$ are combined in 1 cardholder's name for all UOB cards.
Pros: Incredible mileage accrual rates for Paywave transactions (not all merchants - some give SMART$ instead which are different rewards!) as well as internet transactions (some restrictions apply).
Cons: Points allocated on every $5 spent, rounded down to next $5. Transfer in blocks of 5000 UNI$ points = 10,000 miles. Points are valid for 2 years (transfer before expiry and they will subsequently be valid for a further 3 years from the date of transfer to KrisFlyer).
3. Citi PremierMiles MasterCard
https://www.citibank.com.sg/credit-cards/travel/premiermiles-card/?ecid=PSGONSGCCAENPM
Mileage accrual: Earn 1.2 miles for every $1 spent. Earn 2 miles for every $1 spent OVERSEAS. 10,000 bonus miles for each annual membership renewal.
Requirements: min. income $50,000 for VISA. Principal cardholder must be at least 21 years of age.
Cost: First year free, then $192.60 for VISA main, supplementary always free. Annual fee waiver available in exchange for forfeiting the 10,000renewal bonus.
Miles conversion fee: $25 per conversion.
Pros: Decent all-rounder, good for overseas spend. Points never expire. Bonus miles for annual card renewal. 11 frequent flyer programs & 3 hotel programs to choose from, including EVA Air - only 25,000 miles for 1 way Business Class within Asia!!
Cons: No miles awarded for EZ-Link & Transitlink transactions. Miles awarded per S$1. Cents not included. 1.2 miles/S$1. Transfer in blocks of 10,000 miles.
4. DBS Altitude VISA/AMEX
http://www.dbs.com/sg/personal/cards...e/default.aspx
http://www.dbs.com/sg/personal/cards...e/default.aspx
Mileage accrual: Earn 1.2 miles for every $1 spent (every $5 gives 3 DBS points which equal 6 miles). Earn 2 miles for every $1 spent OVERSEAS.
Requirements: min. income $80,000.
Cost: First year free, then $180 for main and $90 for supplementary. Annual fee waiver if you charge $25,000 or more in a year.
Miles conversion fee: S$26.75 per transfer, redeem 1700 DBS points to waive off.
Pros: Points never expire. No rounding down transaction amount to nearest $5 (calculation is done as follows: DBS points = 'transaction amount' divided by 5, multiply by 3, after that round down to nearest whole number. Minimum spend is S$1.67. Each DBS point = 2 miles). Earn 3 miles per S$1 spent on all online Flight and Hotel transactions (capped at S$5,000 per month). 10,000 miles renewal bonus if you have to pay card renewal fees.
Cons: All local spend now down to 1.2 miles/$ (since Dec 1, 2013). AMEX not always accepted by merchants. Transfer in blocks of 5000 DBS points = 10,000 miles (on the plus side points don't expire). Per transfer of S$26.75, redeem 1700 DBS points to waive off.
5. Maybank Horizon Platinum Visa
http://info.maybank2u.com.sg/persona...visa-card.aspx
Earn 3.2 air miles (8X TREATS Points) with every dollar spent on dining, petrol, taxi fares and hotel bookings at Agoda.com/horizon
Earn 2 air miles (5X TREATS Points) with every dollar spent on air tickets, travel packages and foreign currency transactions, with a minimal S$300 in a calendar month
Earn 0.4 mile for every $1 spent elsewhere (1 mile for every $2.50 spent).
Requirements: min. income $30,000 ($80,000 for foreigners).
Cost: $150 for main, supplementary always free. Unsure of any annual fee waiver conditions.
Miles conversion fee: In blocks of 5,000 points to 2000 Asia Miles or KrisFlyer. S$26.75 fee applies.
Pros: Great for ticket purchases and overseas spend. Complimentary access to selected VIP airport lounges when you charge a minimum of S$400 in a single transaction on air tickets or travel packages to your Card 3 months prior to the date of travel.
Cons: Great ONLY for ticket purchases and overseas spend. Points are valid for 1 year only, expire either on 30 June or 31 December of the same year if not Rewards Infinite member.
6. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend AMEX
https://www.americanexpress.com/sg/s...nd-credit-card
Mileage accrual: Earn 1.2 KrisFlyer miles for every S$1 spent on all your eligible purchases with your Card
Earn 2 KrisFlyer miles for every S$1 equivalent in foreign currency spent overseas on eligible purchases during June and December
Requirements: min. income $50,000 ($60,000 for foreigners). Principal cardholder must be over 21 years of age.
Cost: First year free, otherwise $256.80 for main, 2 supplementary cards always free (more available at $80.25 each). Annual fee cannot be waived unless you spend alot.
Miles conversion fee: None - your KrisFlyer miles are transferred to your account directly with no conversion fees or charges.
Pros: None, except for welcome offers (4 complimentary airport lounge access vouchers, one complimentary night with Millennium Hotels and Resorts).
Cons: Simply nothing special - there are better cards available for all types of purchases, including flight tickets, even with all of the bonuses above applied. AMEX not always accepted by merchants.
7. Citibank Rewards Card
http://www.citibank.com.sg/gcb/credi...CACRENCCHOCALM
Earn 10X Rewards (10 Rewards Points or 4 Miles for every S$1 spent) when you shop for clothes, bags and shoes or at departmental stores or online shopping websites, including SingTel & M1 online bill payment!
Pros: Transfer to 11 FFPs & 3 Hotel programs in blocks of 25,000 points=10,000 miles; S$25 fee.
Cons: Points awarded per S$1 spend. Cents not included. Cannot combined Thank You Points across cards.
8. DBS Woman's World MasterCard® Card
http://www.dbs.com.sg/personal/cards...astercard-card
10X Rewards for Online Retail Purchases
T&C Here: https://www.dbs.com.sg/iwov-resource...s_card_tnc.pdf
Pros: Men also can get this card!! DBS points are combined in 1 cardholder's name. No rounding down transaction amount to nearest $5 (calculation is done as follows: DBS points = 'transaction amount' divided by 5, multiply by 10, after that round down to nearest whole number. Minimum spend is S$1. Each DBS point = 2 miles).
Cons: DBS points are valid for 1 year based on card anniversary date. The additional 9X DBS Points for online retail spend in a calendar month will be awarded on the 16th of the next calendar month. If the above days are not working days, the Points will be awarded on the next working day. The additional 9X DBS Points are only applicable to the first S$2,000 online retail spend every calendar month.
9. OCBC Titanium Rewards Card
https://www.ocbc.com/personal-bankin...astercard.html
10x OCBC$ on your shopping Local & Overseas Shopping Transactions, Local & Overseas Department Store Transactions and Local & Overseas Online Transactions.
The remaining 9 OCBC$ will be posted to the Card Account by the end of the next calendar month
https://www.ocbc.com/assets/pdf/card...ons.pdf?rand=1
10,000 KrisFlyer miles requires OCBC$ 25000, For each conversion of OCBC$ to KrisFlyer miles a fee of S$25 will be charged
10. UOB Lady's Card
https://www.uob.com.sg/personal/card...ard/index.page
============
If you know of and/or use any other cards (or the ones already mentioned), please share your thoughts.
***ALL VALUES BELOW IN SINGAPORE DOLLARS (SGD)***
============
In no particular order (apart from personal preference in terms of good-mileage opportunities):
============
1. UOB PRVI Miles VISA, MasterCard, AMEX
VISA:
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...iles_visa.html
MasterCard:
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...astercard.html
Amex:
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...amex_card.html
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...ard/microsite/
Mileage accrual:
The earn rate will be 1.4 miles for every $1 spent in multiples of S$10 (every multiple of S$5 gives 6 to 7 miles due to 3.5 UNI$ rounding off, every S$10 gives 14 miles), and 2.4 miles for every $1 spent OVERSEAS (every $5 gives 12 miles).
Requirements: min. income $80,000 (not strict).
Cost: First year free, then S$256.80 for main, first two supplementary always free. Annual fee waiver for Amex card if you charge $50,000 or more in a year.
Miles conversion fee: $25 per conversion. UNI$ are combined in 1 cardholder's name/FIN Number/NRIC together for all UOB cards which earn UNI$.
Pros: Best mileage accrual rates for overseas spend only. 20,000 bonus miles and annual fee waiver with spend of $50,000 per year (both only for Amex card). $45 1-way airport transfer voucher for $1,000 overseas spend in a given quarter (Amex only).
Cons: AMEX not always accepted by merchants. Points allocated on every $5 spent, rounded down to next $5. Transfer in blocks of 5000 UNI$ points = 10,000 miles. Points are valid for 2 years (transfer before expiry and they will subsequently be valid for a further 3 years from the date of transfer to KrisFlyer).
2. UOB Preferred Platinum Visa
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards..._platinum.html
http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...visa_card.html
Mileage accrual: Earn 4 miles for every $1 spent using ONLY MOBILE CONTACTLESS every $5 gives 10 UNI$ which equal 20 miles). Same incredible mileage-earning ratio for internet shopping with certain restrictions (travel-related, utilities, etc.). Earn 0.4 mile for every $1 for regular, signature-based payments AND ORPHAN SPEND DUE TO $5 ROUNDING OR EXCEEDING THE BONUS U$2000 SPEND (every $5 gives 1 UNI$ which equal 2 miles).
Earning 4 miles/$ is limited to the first S$1110 spent during the per calendar month (via Mobile Contactless). 2,000UNI$ refers to the extra 9UNI$ and does not include the normal 1UNI$.(Stop when you notice you earn 3UNI$ (1 + bonus 2) for the last S$5 transaction. ($1110/5)x9=1998UNI$, hence the last S$5 transaction will earn 2 bonus UNI$. The total bonus UNI$ awarded to you from qualifying spend on Selected Online Transactions and Mobile Contactless Transactions is capped at UNI$2,000 for each calendar month. THE CAP IS ON THE 9 UNI$ BONUS NOT 10UNI$ TOTAL YOU GET WITH BASE OF U$1 PER $ SPEND
Keep in mind that some merchants offer different, non-mileage accruing awards with UOB cards which are called SMART$. Some popular merchants include Cold Storage, Guardian and Giant Supermarket, ToastBox and Starbucks. A full list of merchants where Mobile contactless transactions will NOT earn miles can be found here: http://www.uob.com.sg/personal/cards...smartclub.html
Requirements: min. income $30,000 ($60,000 for foreigners).
Cost: First year free, then $192.60 for main and $96.30 for supplementary. Annual fee waived off easily.
Miles conversion fee: $25 per conversion, in blocks of 5000 UNI$=10,000 miles. UNI$ are combined in 1 cardholder's name for all UOB cards.
Pros: Incredible mileage accrual rates for Paywave transactions (not all merchants - some give SMART$ instead which are different rewards!) as well as internet transactions (some restrictions apply).
Cons: Points allocated on every $5 spent, rounded down to next $5. Transfer in blocks of 5000 UNI$ points = 10,000 miles. Points are valid for 2 years (transfer before expiry and they will subsequently be valid for a further 3 years from the date of transfer to KrisFlyer).
3. Citi PremierMiles MasterCard
https://www.citibank.com.sg/credit-cards/travel/premiermiles-card/?ecid=PSGONSGCCAENPM
Mileage accrual: Earn 1.2 miles for every $1 spent. Earn 2 miles for every $1 spent OVERSEAS. 10,000 bonus miles for each annual membership renewal.
Requirements: min. income $50,000 for VISA. Principal cardholder must be at least 21 years of age.
Cost: First year free, then $192.60 for VISA main, supplementary always free. Annual fee waiver available in exchange for forfeiting the 10,000renewal bonus.
Miles conversion fee: $25 per conversion.
Pros: Decent all-rounder, good for overseas spend. Points never expire. Bonus miles for annual card renewal. 11 frequent flyer programs & 3 hotel programs to choose from, including EVA Air - only 25,000 miles for 1 way Business Class within Asia!!
Cons: No miles awarded for EZ-Link & Transitlink transactions. Miles awarded per S$1. Cents not included. 1.2 miles/S$1. Transfer in blocks of 10,000 miles.
4. DBS Altitude VISA/AMEX
http://www.dbs.com/sg/personal/cards...e/default.aspx
http://www.dbs.com/sg/personal/cards...e/default.aspx
Mileage accrual: Earn 1.2 miles for every $1 spent (every $5 gives 3 DBS points which equal 6 miles). Earn 2 miles for every $1 spent OVERSEAS.
Requirements: min. income $80,000.
Cost: First year free, then $180 for main and $90 for supplementary. Annual fee waiver if you charge $25,000 or more in a year.
Miles conversion fee: S$26.75 per transfer, redeem 1700 DBS points to waive off.
Pros: Points never expire. No rounding down transaction amount to nearest $5 (calculation is done as follows: DBS points = 'transaction amount' divided by 5, multiply by 3, after that round down to nearest whole number. Minimum spend is S$1.67. Each DBS point = 2 miles). Earn 3 miles per S$1 spent on all online Flight and Hotel transactions (capped at S$5,000 per month). 10,000 miles renewal bonus if you have to pay card renewal fees.
Cons: All local spend now down to 1.2 miles/$ (since Dec 1, 2013). AMEX not always accepted by merchants. Transfer in blocks of 5000 DBS points = 10,000 miles (on the plus side points don't expire). Per transfer of S$26.75, redeem 1700 DBS points to waive off.
5. Maybank Horizon Platinum Visa
http://info.maybank2u.com.sg/persona...visa-card.aspx
Earn 3.2 air miles (8X TREATS Points) with every dollar spent on dining, petrol, taxi fares and hotel bookings at Agoda.com/horizon
Earn 2 air miles (5X TREATS Points) with every dollar spent on air tickets, travel packages and foreign currency transactions, with a minimal S$300 in a calendar month
Earn 0.4 mile for every $1 spent elsewhere (1 mile for every $2.50 spent).
Requirements: min. income $30,000 ($80,000 for foreigners).
Cost: $150 for main, supplementary always free. Unsure of any annual fee waiver conditions.
Miles conversion fee: In blocks of 5,000 points to 2000 Asia Miles or KrisFlyer. S$26.75 fee applies.
Pros: Great for ticket purchases and overseas spend. Complimentary access to selected VIP airport lounges when you charge a minimum of S$400 in a single transaction on air tickets or travel packages to your Card 3 months prior to the date of travel.
Cons: Great ONLY for ticket purchases and overseas spend. Points are valid for 1 year only, expire either on 30 June or 31 December of the same year if not Rewards Infinite member.
6. Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Ascend AMEX
https://www.americanexpress.com/sg/s...nd-credit-card
Mileage accrual: Earn 1.2 KrisFlyer miles for every S$1 spent on all your eligible purchases with your Card
Earn 2 KrisFlyer miles for every S$1 equivalent in foreign currency spent overseas on eligible purchases during June and December
Requirements: min. income $50,000 ($60,000 for foreigners). Principal cardholder must be over 21 years of age.
Cost: First year free, otherwise $256.80 for main, 2 supplementary cards always free (more available at $80.25 each). Annual fee cannot be waived unless you spend alot.
Miles conversion fee: None - your KrisFlyer miles are transferred to your account directly with no conversion fees or charges.
Pros: None, except for welcome offers (4 complimentary airport lounge access vouchers, one complimentary night with Millennium Hotels and Resorts).
Cons: Simply nothing special - there are better cards available for all types of purchases, including flight tickets, even with all of the bonuses above applied. AMEX not always accepted by merchants.
7. Citibank Rewards Card
http://www.citibank.com.sg/gcb/credi...CACRENCCHOCALM
Earn 10X Rewards (10 Rewards Points or 4 Miles for every S$1 spent) when you shop for clothes, bags and shoes or at departmental stores or online shopping websites, including SingTel & M1 online bill payment!
Pros: Transfer to 11 FFPs & 3 Hotel programs in blocks of 25,000 points=10,000 miles; S$25 fee.
Cons: Points awarded per S$1 spend. Cents not included. Cannot combined Thank You Points across cards.
8. DBS Woman's World MasterCard® Card
http://www.dbs.com.sg/personal/cards...astercard-card
10X Rewards for Online Retail Purchases
T&C Here: https://www.dbs.com.sg/iwov-resource...s_card_tnc.pdf
Pros: Men also can get this card!! DBS points are combined in 1 cardholder's name. No rounding down transaction amount to nearest $5 (calculation is done as follows: DBS points = 'transaction amount' divided by 5, multiply by 10, after that round down to nearest whole number. Minimum spend is S$1. Each DBS point = 2 miles).
Cons: DBS points are valid for 1 year based on card anniversary date. The additional 9X DBS Points for online retail spend in a calendar month will be awarded on the 16th of the next calendar month. If the above days are not working days, the Points will be awarded on the next working day. The additional 9X DBS Points are only applicable to the first S$2,000 online retail spend every calendar month.
9. OCBC Titanium Rewards Card
https://www.ocbc.com/personal-bankin...astercard.html
10x OCBC$ on your shopping Local & Overseas Shopping Transactions, Local & Overseas Department Store Transactions and Local & Overseas Online Transactions.
The remaining 9 OCBC$ will be posted to the Card Account by the end of the next calendar month
https://www.ocbc.com/assets/pdf/card...ons.pdf?rand=1
10,000 KrisFlyer miles requires OCBC$ 25000, For each conversion of OCBC$ to KrisFlyer miles a fee of S$25 will be charged
10. UOB Lady's Card
https://www.uob.com.sg/personal/card...ard/index.page
============
The 'Best credit cards for KF miles accrual' master thread
Jan 15, 2016, 10:25 pm
#5026
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 819
Vsepr, I paid my Singtel bills using DBS woman's card in e-AXS in first week of Jan, and so far did not receive any points at all (not even 1X pt). I tried both Masterpass and keying in Mastercard CC # directly, and both didn't give any points. Not sure if this is still working at all? Have you tried any new payments recently?
Only paid once $5 with DBS Woman's card on 6th Dec. Awarded 1x. Does not know if balance 9x was awarded because of refunded online transaction in Dec 15 which earned bonus 9x. Cannot have negative balance.
Someone said today he got the 9x bonus points for e-AXS payments.
Anyway, Citi Rewards Card still best!! Earn points for every $1 and 10x points awarded once the charge is posted. No need to keep tracking every 16th of the month for the bonus 9x points.
Jan 16, 2016, 11:25 pm
#5027
Join Date: Mar 2015
Programs: HH Diamond, GHA Titanium
Posts: 1,961
For citi, no. Because supplementary card accrues the points to only one bucket (i.e. the main points balance under your name). You can transfer everything to your KF and then do a redemption for her though.
Jan 17, 2016, 7:07 pm
#5028
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Shinjuku, Tokyo
Programs: Accor Plus Plat, Marriot Plat, AF Silver
Posts: 315
Hi everyone,
Now that I got both Citibank Premiermiles AMEX and UOB Prvimiles AMEX, I am double-checking (I'm paranoid) my first statements.
For Citibank, no problem. As long as I remove the cents, I can match their statement 100%.
Now for UOB, the site says "UNI$6 for every S$5 spent on transactions in foreign currencies and UNI$3.5 for every S$5 spent on transactions in Singapore Dollars.".
My problem is that it doesn't seem to work this way. If I calculate by blocks of $5, I'm off. But if I calculate by blocks of $10, then I can find their total.
=> Are the website conditions misleading?
It would change quite a bit my arbitrage strategy between Citibank and UOB to maximize miles accruals.
Julien
Now that I got both Citibank Premiermiles AMEX and UOB Prvimiles AMEX, I am double-checking (I'm paranoid) my first statements.
For Citibank, no problem. As long as I remove the cents, I can match their statement 100%.
Now for UOB, the site says "UNI$6 for every S$5 spent on transactions in foreign currencies and UNI$3.5 for every S$5 spent on transactions in Singapore Dollars.".
My problem is that it doesn't seem to work this way. If I calculate by blocks of $5, I'm off. But if I calculate by blocks of $10, then I can find their total.
=> Are the website conditions misleading?
It would change quite a bit my arbitrage strategy between Citibank and UOB to maximize miles accruals.
Julien
Jan 17, 2016, 7:47 pm
#5029
Join Date: Jan 2015
Posts: 129
I can also confirm that paying with Citi Rewards MC via e-AXS gives 10x points. I used it to pay for my Prudential premiums last week.
I also used the DBS WWMC to pay for AXA premiums via e-AXS. Will monitor and see if I get the 10x points.
I also used the DBS WWMC to pay for AXA premiums via e-AXS. Will monitor and see if I get the 10x points.
Jan 17, 2016, 9:20 pm
#5030
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: SYD
Programs: QF WP
Posts: 1,799
Mine is getting cancelled as soon as they stop waiving annual fees. The limo rides now have too many restrictions and conditions, and everything else is easily replicated by quite a few other cards. The extra 0.2 miles per dollar spent locally doesn't quite bother me especially when most spends would go to other cards with specified targeted earns.
Jan 17, 2016, 11:47 pm
#5031
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Shinjuku, Tokyo
Programs: Accor Plus Plat, Marriot Plat, AF Silver
Posts: 315
If I round down the UNI$ (truncate) to integer, by either blocks of $5 or $10, I get resp. 1,265 and 1,246 when UOB credited me with 1,230.
Just puzzled by the way they calculate things...
Julien
Jan 18, 2016, 1:30 am
#5032
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Virginia City Highlands
Programs: Nothing anymore after 20 years
Posts: 6,900
Excel. Create your own formulas, here is the one which calculates 10x UNI$:
Code:
=TRUNC(TRUNC("posted charge amount")/5,0)*10
So if you download statement in excel and in your E5 column is the first posted charge, put in F5 column as =TRUNC(TRUNC(E5)/5,0)*10 - this will put there number of awarded 10x UNI$.
Then for each charge which is 10x UNI$, you can copy/paste the formula into corresponding F column. Based on above you can calculate your own list of awarded UNI$ and if there is discrepancy, you need to call.
You have to do your own breakdown if UNI$ awarded per charge, they won't do it for you.
Last edited by invisible; Jan 18, 2016 at 1:38 am
Jan 18, 2016, 2:00 am
#5033
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Shinjuku, Tokyo
Programs: Accor Plus Plat, Marriot Plat, AF Silver
Posts: 315
Code:
=TRUNC(TRUNC("posted charge amount")/5,0)*10
Then for each charge which is 10x UNI$, you can copy/paste the formula into corresponding F column. Based on above you can calculate your own list of awarded UNI$ and if there is discrepancy, you need to call.
Will contact them. They also forgot to provide to which address the first payment cheque -- before the GIRO kicks in -- should be addressed to. :-P
Julien
Jan 18, 2016, 4:29 am
#5034
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Shinjuku, Tokyo
Programs: Accor Plus Plat, Marriot Plat, AF Silver
Posts: 315
While I'm crunching numbers, I made a quick comparison of foreign currency transactions and they are quite pricey (vs spot rate for that day):
So far only one with UOB (THB) => 3.58% in fees
5 with Citibank (EUR and AUD) => from 3.42% to 3.96%
My assumption was that AMEX was usually 2.5-3.5%.
On the other hand I'm used to European Visa/Mastercard who got sued by the EU and lost because they were taking fees on both credit and FX and EU asked them to chose one only. They decided to be credit cards and waived the FX fees.
Is 4% "normal" for Singapore cards?
[EDIT]
For UOB, they do announce 3.25% upfront fees by AMEX + anything but USD and AUS will be converted to USD first, then USD to SGD. 3.58% doesn't sound too bad in that case.
For Citibank, they do announce 3.3% upfront fees by AMEX + anything but USD will be converted to USD first, then USD to SGD. That explains the higher rates for Citibank.
I guess I'm just (re)discovering the pleasures of being a "weak" currency!
Julien
So far only one with UOB (THB) => 3.58% in fees
5 with Citibank (EUR and AUD) => from 3.42% to 3.96%
My assumption was that AMEX was usually 2.5-3.5%.
On the other hand I'm used to European Visa/Mastercard who got sued by the EU and lost because they were taking fees on both credit and FX and EU asked them to chose one only. They decided to be credit cards and waived the FX fees.
Is 4% "normal" for Singapore cards?
[EDIT]
For UOB, they do announce 3.25% upfront fees by AMEX + anything but USD and AUS will be converted to USD first, then USD to SGD. 3.58% doesn't sound too bad in that case.
For Citibank, they do announce 3.3% upfront fees by AMEX + anything but USD will be converted to USD first, then USD to SGD. That explains the higher rates for Citibank.
I guess I'm just (re)discovering the pleasures of being a "weak" currency!
Julien
Last edited by generikz; Jan 18, 2016 at 4:52 am Reason: Read the fineprints!
Jan 18, 2016, 9:41 am
#5035
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Anywhere I need to be.
Programs: OW Emerald, *A Gold, NEXUS, GE, ABTC/APEC, South Korea SES, eIACS, PP, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 16,046
Jan 18, 2016, 6:09 pm
#5036
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Singapore
Posts: 46
While I'm crunching numbers, I made a quick comparison of foreign currency transactions and they are quite pricey (vs spot rate for that day):
So far only one with UOB (THB) => 3.58% in fees
5 with Citibank (EUR and AUD) => from 3.42% to 3.96%
My assumption was that AMEX was usually 2.5-3.5%.
On the other hand I'm used to European Visa/Mastercard who got sued by the EU and lost because they were taking fees on both credit and FX and EU asked them to chose one only. They decided to be credit cards and waived the FX fees.
Is 4% "normal" for Singapore cards?
[EDIT]
For UOB, they do announce 3.25% upfront fees by AMEX + anything but USD and AUS will be converted to USD first, then USD to SGD. 3.58% doesn't sound too bad in that case.
For Citibank, they do announce 3.3% upfront fees by AMEX + anything but USD will be converted to USD first, then USD to SGD. That explains the higher rates for Citibank.
I guess I'm just (re)discovering the pleasures of being a "weak" currency!
Julien
So far only one with UOB (THB) => 3.58% in fees
5 with Citibank (EUR and AUD) => from 3.42% to 3.96%
My assumption was that AMEX was usually 2.5-3.5%.
On the other hand I'm used to European Visa/Mastercard who got sued by the EU and lost because they were taking fees on both credit and FX and EU asked them to chose one only. They decided to be credit cards and waived the FX fees.
Is 4% "normal" for Singapore cards?
[EDIT]
For UOB, they do announce 3.25% upfront fees by AMEX + anything but USD and AUS will be converted to USD first, then USD to SGD. 3.58% doesn't sound too bad in that case.
For Citibank, they do announce 3.3% upfront fees by AMEX + anything but USD will be converted to USD first, then USD to SGD. That explains the higher rates for Citibank.
I guess I'm just (re)discovering the pleasures of being a "weak" currency!
Julien
For some cards, such as the UOB Privi Visa and Mastercards, even the FTFs are 3.25%. So even if the miles accrued per SGD spend is higher, you have to factor in the higher FTFs.
Jan 18, 2016, 8:41 pm
#5038
Join Date: Apr 2015
Location: Singapore
Programs: Krisflyer Gold, Starwood Gold, Hilton Gold
Posts: 444
Assuming you want miles...
Suggest looking at sign-up min spend offers and spread over multiple cards.
AMEX Krisflyer Ascend normally has something.
Simpler option would be UOB PRVI Miles American Express Card which gives 20K mile bonus for hitting $50K in a year so assuming you can make up the final 5K you should get around 83K miles.
Jan 18, 2016, 8:56 pm
#5039
Join Date: May 2006
Location: SIN
Programs: KF, MPC, BAEC // Bonvoy, WoH, Honors
Posts: 1,464
Since we're discussing overseas transaction fees -- what are some of the best cards in terms of overseas fees and miles accrual? I generally use my PRVIMiles MC but the fees are quite high.
Jan 18, 2016, 9:29 pm
#5040
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Virginia City Highlands
Programs: Nothing anymore after 20 years
Posts: 6,900
I think you can't get anything less than 2.5% from AMEX/MC/VISA. Considering that they itself add 0.8%-1% on interbank spot rate, at the end 3.3% is absolute minimum comparing to interbank spot rate.